The "Zebra2 plays Virus" challenge

[george]

I will join the fun too. Discovery Pro in action using a factory preset from [05] Jeff bank:

http://www.discodsp.com/mp3/discovery_p ... peggio.mp3

No reverb, direct to master with a little compression only.

I don't like the closed filter very much but once it opens it starts getting nice and dirty

Cool, maybe I should replace the filters with Discovery Pro's X or Y instead the standard LowPass. Those really have a nice character.

[cleverr1]

So it's over now? Mission accomplished?

Not really. Sticking with that ubiquitous fecking arp thing - the Virus has a character about the attack that nothing else has managed. The mp3 provided is well processed, but if you load the original patch into a Virus and put it alongside our efforts I still prefer the Virus sound. This is of course subjective. The only conclusion I can draw is that each synth imparts its own character on a sound. However, one area where the Virus wins hands down IMHO is that of its built in fx. That phaser in particular just works with the sounds the synth produces.

50 pages later, and all I can suggest is that if you like the sound of Zebra2 then buy it. The perpetual time limited demo method is great, so the decision has little risk. However if you want a synth that sounds exactly like a Virus, then you want a Virus. Personally I like both, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Virus.

Roger

[thespecialist]

50 pages later, and all I can suggest is that if you like the sound of Zebra2 then buy it. The perpetual time limited demo method is great, so the decision has little risk. However if you want a synth that sounds exactly like a Virus, then you want a Virus. Personally I like both, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Virus.

Exactly. Even if the thread becomes 100 pages, it won't come to any different conclusion than this ... And what's the point in trying to get close to the Virus sound anyway. The Zebra has a nice and very personal sound, why would you even WANT to change that ?

[MaxSynths]

When the "Virus plays Zebra2" thread or "Alto flute plays Shaku"?

[shogger]

how about making zebra or the virus do this?

http://www.flstudio.com/gol/GuitTest.mp3
(credits: some random MIDI file & Large for the patch)

Doesn't sound like a Virus.

Shogger

P.S. KvR wouldn't be half as funny if there wouldn't be -us-, the hardcore-fans/developers/other-specialists who drop by every now and then and think it's cool to be WAAAAYYYYY off topic, right?

[nix808]

Hey 'gain,
Is that Sytrus Gol? I was surprised that you can synthesize drums with Virus, like. That filtered sound I thought I might bring to the table is pure TC Sirius in leads. That is basically my favourite synth sound. I'm getting a bit handier with Zebra, seems like a worthy addition to the sonic pallete.
Cheers, nix

[fgimian]

I think that this has been one of the most constructive and useful threads I've been across on KvR. Thanks to everyone for making this happen. Even with such a good Z2 attempt, I too still prefer the original Virus patch if for nothing more than the Phaser

Still, Z2 with that patch comes remarkably close and listening to Urs' Virus TI render vs the Vengeance one, it is 100% clear that the Vengeance sample has been processed substantially.

Now someone has got to match that bass preset! I have tried everything I could with Zebra, Massive and a particular synth which is yet to be released in a software package, and I still couldn't begin to replicate it The saturation on the Virus is also the thing to beat, and the arp sample doesn't even use it, so we haven't really even scratched the surface have we ?

Cheers
Fots

[Vectorman]

Very nice adamtrance! Any chance you'd be willing to post the patch?

Indeed...that was a nice job. We should have threads like this more often if they lead to useful patches being posted (I already used one of the Z2 patches from this thread in a song arrangement, and not for a trance arpeggio, LOL).

The third party Z2 patches I've downloaded that lean more to morphing wavetable textures and digital/analog hybrid sounds are probably the ones I find the most compelling (it's amazing what those comb filters can do), but it's a nice bonus that it can do the "virtual analog" thing as well as it does.

[Urs]

Still, Z2 with that patch comes remarkably close and listening to Urs' Virus TI render vs the Vengeance one, it is 100% clear that the Vengeance sample has been processed substantially.

Well, we should rather compare pschelfh pure Virus snippet vs. the shortened virus snippet ripped from Vengeance that spooks around.

I still think mission is accomplished because

- Even The Virus Doesn't Sound Like A Virus

- Any decent softsynth can create sounds that no-one can significantly distinguish from a Virus

If anyone still has doubts, so be it. I'll happily post more examples without telling anyone what it is. I simply like the smiley

[pschelfh]

Now someone has got to match that bass preset! I have tried everything I could with Zebra, Massive and a particular synth which is yet to be released in a software package, and I still couldn't begin to replicate it The saturation on the Virus is also the thing to beat, and the arp sample doesn't even use it, so we haven't really even scratched the surface have we ?

You're right, those 2 bass sounds have the Virus distortion FX full open, so their character comes for 99% from that effect.

Cannot be reproduced if the saturation/distortion FX on your synth doesn't sound the same.

Peter.

[Howard]

the Virus has a character about the attack that nothing else has managed.

One thing that makes unison mode sound different from Zebra's quad oscillators - and is particularl noticeable in the attack - is that Virus osc 3 is a slave, it's initial phase is linked to osc 2. So: Three of the 9 unison voices in the Virus original are giving a bit of sweeping "reset phase" type attack to the sound.

http://www.box.net/shared/n64qum0dvy is a clone of the Virus arp patch for Zebra2. Uses two quad oscs plus a dual osc, with the latter resetting phase for a bit of that "attack".

Push mod wheel for cutoff, and go to the performance page to do the rest!
I assume it will also work with the non-public-beta version...

Edit: Here's an MP3 of the patch in action
http://www.box.net/shared/5n1chel92q
I called it "HS-Zebrus-Final" because I can't stand that damned arp any longer!

[tony tony chopper]

true that the initial phases of oscillators is an important unison setting

[djsubject]

no mp3 Howard?

do i have to do everything my self now days

i dont know, we get to page 50 & peeps just start getting lazy




joking of course

off to play with the patch now

Subz

[Howard]

no mp3 Howard?

Just added to my previous post - see above

[Howard]

true that the initial phases of oscillators is an important unison setting

True, but it's not actually used in the Virus patch! The bit of "reset phase" effect comes from 3 times "slave" oscillator 3. All 6 others are free-running.